Box Score Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Keene State College (4-0) Tuesday night, falling by a score of 91-75 in non-conference action.

The defeat at the Hawk Center marked the Hawks' first loss of the season, which came against a tough Owl squad. Keene State's Ryan Martin poured in a game-high 25 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. New Paltz's junior guard Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y.) led the Hawks with 15 points, which was bolstered by his 6-of-8 performance at the line.

Keene State would lead most of the first half, grabbing a 20-12 advantage with 13:50 remaining in the half. Freshman guard Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y.) would give the Hawks a much needed lift off the bench, scoring four points and grabbing six boards. New Paltz was marred by the foul trouble of Taylor, who picked up his second foul with 9:05 left. Taylor would head to the bench, and the blue and orange would lose one of its most explosive offense weapons for the rest of the half. Keene State would go on to lead 40-29 with 5:15 left. With both teams trading baskets, New Paltz continued to trail and struggled to fight its way back into the game. Keene State went into the break leading 53-45.

Keene State started off the second half with a 47-35 edge and would eventually push the advantage to 58-47 four minutes in the second period. New Paltz would go on a 7-2 spurt, cutting the lead to 60-54. Keene State then proceeded to go on a 12-0 run over the next four minutes, mounting a significant 18-point lead with 10 minutes to go in regulation.

The Hawks showed signs of life, however, as senior forward Pete Carmel (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored while getting fouled on the ensuing possession. Junior guard Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y.) followed his miss with a put back, cutting the Owls' lead to 14. Both teams would continue to trade baskets until New Paltz came within 10 with 5:56 left, as sophomore guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to make the score 79-69. The tide seemed to turn as Taldi got fouled going to the basket, scored and then made his foul shot with 4:47 to go, slashing the Keene State lead to single digits. Wichard took a charge on the next possession, which seemed to spark life into his teammates. However, Keene State would go on a 5-0 run and continued to hold the momentum throughout the remainder of the contest.

Keene State was led by Martin and Anthony Mariano, who shot 6-of-13 from the field and scored 15 points. Martin's contributions extended beyond point scoring, as he dished out a game-high six assists. Rashad Wright dazzled the crowd with dunks, going 6-of-10 from the field to compile 12 points. In addition, he recorded game-high totals in rebounds (14) and blocks (5).

New Paltz was led by Wichard, followed by Taldi with 14 points and Taylor with 11. Sowah contributed seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The Hawks look to use this loss as a teaching moment, as they take a week and a half off from competition before returning to the hardwood on Friday, Dec. 3, against defending State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champion SUNY Plattsburgh in their league opener. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. in Plattsburgh, N.Y.